127 HOURS FREE RESOURCE FOR TEACHERS! HOW TO USE YOUR SCHOLASTIC READER SCHOLASTIC READERS THE BACK STORY MEDIA LINKS.

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A FREE RESOURCE FOR TEACHERS! 127 HOURS EXTRA Level 3 This level is suitable for students who have been learning English for at least three years and up to four years.

1 A FREE RESOURCE FOR TEACHERS! 127 HOURS EXTRA Level 3 This level is suitable for students who have been learning English for at least three years and up to four years. It corresponds with the Common European Framework level B1. Suitable for users of TEAM magazine. On Saturday, April 26th, 2003, mountain climber Aron Ralston from Colorado, USA, went hiking in Canyonlands National Park in south east Utah, USA. That afternoon, a boulder fell and trapped his right hand against the canyon wall. Aron was in a very difficult situation he had very little water, no warm clothing to protect him from the cold nights, and almost no useful equipment to free himself. He had not told anyone exactly where he was going. He knew that he wouldn t be missed for days and that a search and rescue operation might not find him in time, if ever. Over the next few days, Aron tried to free his hand by chipping away stone from the boulder and using a rope to lift the boulder, without success. On his third night in the canyon, Aron had to start drinking his own urine to survive. With no sleep, food, or water, he began to have visions and was convinced he was going to die. He even inscribed the dates of his life on the canyon walls. However, in a final vision he saw a house and himself with a little boy, and realised this was his future life and became convinced that he wouldn t die. Late on the morning of the sixth day, he managed to cut off the lower part of his right arm and escape. Then he rappelled down a cliff and hiked ten kilometers before meeting a family who helped him. Finally, he was taken to hospital by helicopter. Aron then had to have many operations on his arm, and he took months to recover. Aron believes his love for his family and friends kept him alive. THE BACK STORY After he had recovered, Aron Ralston wrote a book about his experience, called Between a rock and a hard place. Film director Danny Boyle made it into the film 127 Hours. Losing his arm didn t stop Aron from being active. When he had recovered, he got a prosthetic arm and then continued to climb and do other outdoor activities. Later, he met a woman he loved, got married, and had a son a boy like the boy he had seen in his vision in the canyon. One day, he returned with his family and friends to the place where the accident had happened. His young son was with him. MEDIA LINKS DVD: The film of 127 Hours is available on DVD. You should note that some of the scenes are quite graphic and may be upsetting to some students. CD: A recording of 127 Hours is available to accompany the Scholastic Reader. Books: This reader is adapted from Between a rock and a hard place by Aron Ralston, published by Simon & Schuster. HOW TO USE YOUR SCHOLASTIC READER Choosing and motivating Is this a good story for your class? Do they enjoy dramatic, reallife documentaries? If not, choose a different book. Motivate the students by giving them some background information to the story. Then read the prologue with plenty of dramatic expression. Organising Make a reading schedule for the class. Decide how many pages to set for reading each week. Have feedback sessions on these pages. Then select exercises from the Self-Study section at the back of the book and extra activities from this resource sheet for each chunk of reading. (Answers on page 5.) Using the CD The class can listen and follow in their books, listen and then read, or read and then listen. All these activities will improve their reading speeds and skills. Using the DVD and CD Select the English language option on the DVD. Watch the film first yourself to check that all scenes and language are suitable for your class. If you think some of the scenes will be too upsetting for your students, omit those scenes. Watch the film in parallel with your reading schedule, choose important scenes and set language tasks related to them. Alternatively, show the film when the class have finished reading the book, as a treat. Glossary Go to New Words at the back of the reader. Translate the words with the class or get students to find their meanings at home. The Vocabulary Builder on page 4 of the resource sheets practises the new words in a different context. Book exercises Show students the Self-Study Activities at the back of the book. These are divided into sections. They complete some exercises before reading a section of the book, and some after. Check the answers with the whole class. Fact Files Set these as self-study or use with the whole class. They provide information on making the film, Utah and canyoning, and people who have been successful in sport despite disabilities. What did they think? Get everyone to do a written or spoken review of the book. Did they enjoy it? Will they watch the film? Let us know at: readers@link2english COMPETITIONS AND UPDATES Check for competitions and other activities related to the Scholastic Readers. 1

2 People and places SCHOLASTIC READERS 127 HOURS EXTRA Answer the questions. a) When did Aron have his accident? On April the 26 th, 2003 b) Where is the Horseshoe Canyon Trail? c) Which four activities are popular in Canyonlands National Park? d) How long is the most popular part of the trail? e) What number on the map shows where Kristi and Megan said goodbye? Canyons and Canyoning Talk to your partner. Look at the picture of Aron s equipment on page 7. Which is the most important piece of equipment in your opinion? Which is the least? Arrange them in order from the least important to the most important and present your list to the class, explaining why you think this. Prologue Chapter 1 1 Correct the mistakes in these sentences. second a) The first voice brought me hope. b) Aron and Brad biked the Slick Rock Trail. c) Aspen is a popular place for biking. d) The Big Drop Rappel is the hardest part of the trail. e) Aron told Brian he would be back for Leona s party. f) Megan, Kristi and Aron all work for the same company. g) The girls left their bikes in the carpark. 2 Talk to a partner. Imagine you are Kristi and Megan. It is 7pm on Saturday evening and you are standing by your truck. Aron agreed to meet you at this time but he has not arrived. Why not? What do you think? What do you do? Act out the conversation. Chapters Make sentences. a) Aron feels happy as i) his left arm hurts. b) The multi-tool ii) will be at the party. c) Aron knows he is in trouble iii) he listens to his CD when player. d) The most important thing of iv) after twenty-five all is throws. e) Megan thinks that Aron v) saving water. f) Aron has to stop chipping vi) he hears a strange because sound. g) The rope lands in the right place vii) has two knives. 2 Answer these questions. a) Why does Aron nearly fall? Because his feet hit a pile of loose stones. b) Why is it important to always check the weather? c) What is the quickest way of getting past the boulders? d) Why doesn t Aron feel any pain immediately after the accident? e) What does the second voice tell Aron to be? f) Who does Aron think will be the first person to know something is wrong? g) How long does Aron think it will take to free his trapped hand? 3 Talk to a partner. Describe a dangerous activity or trip you have done or heard about. Why was it dangerous? What happened? Did you have anything with you to help if something went wrong? Chapters Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)? a) Aron cuts through the skin of his arm with the knife. F b) 24 hours after the accident, Aron films a message for his family and friends. c) By 6.00 pm on the second night, Aron has only a quarter of a litre of water. d) Clear skies mean warmer temperatures. e) The raven appears on time. f) At 6.30 pm, Brion After calls the police. g) Aron drops his water bottle. 2

3 2 Answer the questions. a) Why does Aron feel optimistic at the start of the second day? Because seeing the raven made him feel hopeful. b) How long does Aron spend trying to lift the boulder? c) Aron thought he heard voices. He was wrong. What did he hear? d) Where do Aron s parents live? e) What does Aron decide to use as a tourniquet? f) What time did Leona s party end? g) How long does someone have to be missing before the police start a search and rescue operation? 3 Work with a partner. Brion After tells Leona he will call Aron s parents if he doesn t return from his trip by 9.00am the next day. Aron doesn t arrive home by that time so Brion makes the call. Imagine that one of you is Brion, the other is Mr or Mrs Ralston. Act out the conversation. Chapters What do these times refer to in the story? Match the times a g with the events i vii. a) 70 hrs 45 mins i) Aron arrives at the Great Gallery. b) 71 hrs 45 mins ii) Aron starts to have visions. c) 89 hrs 15 mins iii) The sky grows brighter. d) 97 hrs 45 mins iv) Aron escapes. e) 110 hrs 15 mins v) The raven appears. f) 122 hrs 47 mins vi) Aron has a new idea. g) 125 hrs 10 mins vii) Aron s been awake for 100 hours. 2 Who says these things? Who are they speaking to? a) I ll let you know what happens. Brion After to Mrs Ralston. b) Brion made a mistake. c) I love you. d) NM 846-MMY. e) We ve found the truck you re looking for. f) I need a doctor. g) The police at the carpark told us about you. 3 Work with a partner. One of you is Aron, the other is Eric. It is one year since the accident. Talk to each other and find out what you have both done since your meeting in the canyon. Chapter 11 Epilogue 1 Put these events in the correct order. a) Aron speaks at Sonja s wedding. b) The helicopter arrives. 1 c) Aron realises that his nightmare has lasted for exactly 127 hours. d) Aron returns to Blue John Canyon. e) Eric gives Aron s climbing bag to one of the rescue workers. f) A doctor pushes a needle into Aron s arm. g) Steve, the Park Ranger, introduces himself. 2 Circle the correct word. a) The helicopter takes Aron to a hospital in Moab / Aspen. b) They land behind / in front of the hospital. c) Aron tells his story twice / three times in two hours. d) The first / fifth operation was the most difficult. e) Aron climbed Mount Moran on August the 31st / September the 4th. f) Aron filmed the place where the accident / rescue happened. g) The dates of Aron s life were on the canyon floor / wall. 3 Aron says that the weeks following the accident were difficult for my family. Imagine you are Aron s sister. Write a letter to a friend explaining how and why this was a difficult time for the family. FINAL TASKS Hours is told from Aron s point of view. Imagine you are a different member of his family and write an account of your experiences from when you first discovered Aron was missing up to the time when he is fully recovered from the accident. 2 Choose five pictures from chapters 1 to 11. Re-arrange them in any order you like to tell a completely different story. You can then record your story and play it while showing the class the five pictures you have chosen. 3 At the end of the book Aron says, Saying goodbye to things from our past is also a new beginning. What does he mean by that? Do you agree? Discuss your ideas. 3

4 VOCABULARY BUILDER 1 Find New Words at the back of the book for each of these definitions. 1. A word that describes when you cannot escape because something is stopping you from moving freely. trapped 2. A small, very thin long piece of metal with a sharp point that is used to give people medicine. 3. A piece of material that you tie tightly around an injury to stop blood. 4. A large, black bird. 5. A flying machine. 6. A copy of a part of the body which replaces a part that someone has lost or was born without. 7. This describes what doctors do when they have to cut open someone s body to mend or replace something which is damaged. 8. To hit something many times in order to remove material. 9. A rough path through open country or a forest. 10. Small flying insects which can bite people. 2 There is a mistake in each of these sentences. Correct the mistakes with words from Canyons and canyoning and Canyoning equipment, pages 6 7. boulder 1. That canyoning is quite round and not too high, I m going to climb over it. 2. That rock is very steep! John is webbing down it now with a rope. 3. I can use my rope to cut this piece of wood. 4. I must remember to fill my carabiner with water. 5. I ve put all my equipment in my canyon so it s easier to carry. 6. You use a lot of different body parts back, arms, legs when you boulder between two canyon walls. 7. It s not a difficult hike through the pipe, but the walls are steep so there isn t much light. 8. It s very dark in here. Can you switch on your camcorder so I can see? Casual language l Damn it! (p.18 and p.52). also Damn! (p.33). People say this when they are angry about something. It is not polite, so you shouldn t use it. When Aron has drunk a lot of his water without thinking about it, and then he realises, he says, Damn it, Aron! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! l Forget it! (p.30). You use this to say stop thinking something will happen because it is unlikely. When Aron is trapped and he is wondering if there is water at the bottom of the Big Drop Rappel, he then says to himself, Forget it, Aron. You ll never see water again. l Sure! (p.31). This is a common way of agreeing with someone. When Brion asks Leona to phone him if Aron returns, she says, Yes, sure. l for sure (p.31). You can use this instead of definitely : He said he d come for sure. means He said he d definitely come. l oh dear (p.37). You say this when you are worried about something bad that has happened. Aron s mother says, Oh dear when Brion phones her to tell her that Aron is missing. Choose the right expression to complete the sentences. 1. A: Do you want to go to the cinema? B: Yeah,. That s a great idea! 2. A: Can I borrow your new jacket tonight? B: No,. I m going to wear it. 3. A: Jane is very late. B: I hope everything is OK, I m a bit worried about her. 4. A: Are you going to Jack s party? B: Yeah, I m going. He always has great parties. 4

5 FACT FILE FOLLOW-UP MAKING 127 HOURS (pages 56 7) Research and Discussion Students work in groups. Each group is making a short film about how to safely do an outdoor activity of their choosing. Using the library or internet, they should research stories where lack of adequate preparation has led to a bad outcome. Some examples could be: a bear attack while camping; a canoeing, climbing or hiking accident etc. They then get together and discuss the measures necessary to avoid the situations they have researched and how they would best present these measures in a dramatic safety film. UTAH: A LAND OF PARKS AND CANYONS (pages 58 9) Design a National Park poster Students work in pairs. Using the internet or library, each pair finds information about a National Park somewhere in the world where at least two of the activities listed on page 58 can be done. Students write about the park and the activities that can be done there. They make a poster, including a map, showing a suggested route for each activity. They should write a short paragraph beneath their map listing the highlights of the route they have chosen. A map key must also be included. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE : DISABILITY AND SPORT (pages 60 1) Interview Ask students to imagine they have a disability which, after years of hard work, they have eventually overcome to achieve success in their chosen field. Alternatively, they can find out more about one of the athletes in the fact file and imagine they are that athlete. Put them into pairs to interview each other about the nature of their disability, how it was caused, what problems they have had to face in order to overcome it, and what they have achieved. DVD/CD FOLLOW-UP Observation Watch a short section of the film and then write a number of questions to test students comprehension. Divide the class into two teams. Show them your chosen section. Then ask the first person in each team your first question. The first person to answer correctly wins a point for the team. Continue in this way until all your questions have been answered and every member of each team has had the opportunity to answer a question. Prediction Stop the film at a certain point and ask students to predict what will happen next. If you prefer, you may give them a choice of three answers, only one of which is correct. Play and check. Missing Scene Ask students to imagine that a scene is missing from the film. Their task is to put it back in and decide what images, words, and sound effects might be used to make it as effective as possible. The class could then choose the best missing scenes to be included in the film. ANSWER KEY Self-Study Activities (pages 62 4) 1 a) hike b) trail c) boulder d) housemates e) sip 2 a) trapped, amputate b) bike c) drop d) shake e) chip f) routine g) shock 4 a) F b) F c) F d) F e) F f) T g) T h) F i) T 6 a) tourniquet b) bone c) urinate d) raven e) mosquitoes f) licence-plate g) visions h) last 8 a) Aron b) Leona c) Brion d) Mrs Ralston e) Elliot f) Mrs Ralston 10 a) poison b) prosthetic c) needle d) helicopter e) operation 11 a) 9.27 am on Thursday, May 1st. b) No, he manages to break the bones. c) No, it is very difficult. d) They are a Dutch family. They give him some water and Eric helps him to walk while Monique and Andy run to the carpark to tell the police they have found Aron. e) By helicopter. f) Three times: to Eric, to the helicopter pilots, and to the Park Ranger, Steve. g) About fifteen days. No it took between 4 and 5 months for Aron to recover because, in the book, he says that by the end of the summer he was the same weight as before the accident. Resource Sheet Activities People and places b) Canyonlands National Park c) Hiking, biking, mountain-climbing and canyoning d) 8 kilometres e) 4 Prologue Chapter 1 a) The second voice brought him hope. b) Aron biked alone, he went skiing with his Brad. c) Aspen a popular place for skiing. d) The most difficult part is 180 metres before the Big Drop Rappel. e) Aron told Leona, not Brian. f) They work for different companies. g) The girls left their bikes at the end of the west canyon. Chapters b) vii c) vi d) v e) ii f) i g) iv 2 b) Because a rain storm can be dangerous. c) Climbing over them. d) He is too shocked. e) It tells him to be sensible. f) Brion After, when Aron doesn t arrive for work. g) 150 hours. Chapters b) T c) T d) F e) T f) F g) T 2 b) 4 hours. c) A small animal moving in the rock. d) Eaglewood, Colorado. e) The plastic pipe from the Camelbak. f) At 2.00 am. g) 48 hours. Chapters a) iii b) v c) ii d) vi e) vii f) iv g) i 2 b) Elliot to Mrs Ralston. c) Aron to his family. d) Kyle Ekker to Glen Sherrill. e) Glen Sherrill to Kyle Ekker. f) Aron to Eric. g) Eric to Aron. Chapter 11 Epilogue 1 The correct order is: b, e, g, f, c, a, d. 2 b) in front of c) three d) fifth e) September the 4th f) accident g) wall Vocabulary Builder 1 2. needle 3. tourniquet 4. raven 5. helicopter 6. prosthetic 7. operation 8. chip 9. trail 10. mosquitoes 2 2. webbing rappelling 3. rope multi-tool 4. carabiner CamelBak 5. canyon climbing bag 6. boulder chimney 7. pipe canyon 8. camcorder headlamp Casual language 1. sure 2. forget it 3. Oh dear 4. for sure 5

Level 2. Intermediate. The extraordinary story behind Danny Boyle s 127 Hours. Warmer. Find the information. Answer the questions below.

Level 2. Intermediate. The extraordinary story behind Danny Boyle s 127 Hours. Warmer. Find the information. Answer the questions below. 1 Warmer Answer the questions below. 2 How long is 127 hours in days? What day and time will it be 127 hours from now? Find the information Find the following information in the text and as quickly as